Daley's overtime goal lifts Stars over Blues

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Daley's overtime goal lifts Stars over Blues

Defenseman Trevor Daley scored 16 seconds into overtime to giveDallas a 5-4 victory over the Blues on Saturday night. But itwas a hollow victory for the Stars, who were eliminated fromplayoff contention.

With the point for reaching overtime, St. Louis reached 86points to match Anaheim and Nashville in the race for the finaltwo Western Conference playoff spots.

"It's almost a Game 7 situation every game we play right now,"St. Louis center Keith Tkachuk said.

Loui Eriksson had two goals for the injury-depleted Stars intheir final home game of the season. Mike Ribeiro and Steve Ottalso scored for Dallas, 2-6-2 in its last 10.

The Stars will miss the postseason for the first time since2001-02 and the second time in the last 12 seasons after comingwithin two games of reaching the Stanley Cup finals last year.

"You make the playoffs by playing well all year," Stars coachDave Tippett said. "We were too inconsistent over the course ofthe season to give ourselves a chance."

Brad Boyes had two goals and two assists for the Blues, 6-1-1 intheir last eight. Rookie T.J. Oshie added a power-play goal, andDavid Backes also scored.

With the game tied at 4, Daley skated up the right side, andfired Mike Modano's centering pass past Blues goalie ChrisMason.

"I found a hole," Daley said. "I think it just bounced off mystick and went in."

Blues coach Andy Murray was disappointed with his team'sdefensive effort.

"When you score four goals on the road you should come away withtwo points," Murray said. "Overall our attention to defensivedetail wasn't what we needed it to be."

Dallas' Matt Climie made 22 saves in his NHL debut, replacingtop goalie Marty Turco, out with a lower-body injury. Climie,getting the call ahead of regular backup Tobias Stephan, was anemergency callup from Idaho of the ECHL, where he was 27-12-1with a league-best 2.30 goals-against average. Turco had started73 of 79 games and has played an NHL-high 4,263 minutes.

With the score tied at 3 and Modano serving a double-minor forhigh-sticking, Oshie scored his 14th of the season from the leftcircle with 13:16 remaining.

But Ott went in alone and connected on a backhand from closerange with 6:13 left in regulation to tie it at 4.

Dallas grabbed a 1-0 lead at 10:57 of the opening period whenEriksson took advantage of a misplay by Mason.

Mason skated behind the net to play the puck, but Dallas' TomWandell was there to pass it in front to Eriksson, who firedinto an open net.

Climie stopped the first seven shots he faced before Boyes'deflection at 2:15 of the second period tied it at 1.

Ribeiro notched his 25th of the season at 4:54 of the secondperiod, converted Matt Niskanen's cross-ice pass to give theStars a 2-1 edge.

Boyes scored his 32nd from between the circles 1:45 later todraw the Blues even at 2, and Backes fired a shot into the upperright corner at 17:10 of the second period to put St. Louis infront.

Eriksson's rebound 35 seconds into the third period was hiscareer-best 36th goal, pulling the Stars into a 3-all tie.